Mahmud II

Lore & Background

Mahmud Pasha was born in the early 1420s, most likely in Novo Brdo in the Serbian Despotate. His father Mihailos was the son of either Alexios Angelos Philanthropenos or his son/nephew/brother Manuel, rulers of Thessaly. His mother's ancestry is debated: Chalkokondyles called her Serbian, Kritoboulos called her Greek. He had a brother, Mihailo Anđelović, later a prominent Serbian statesman. According to Chalkokondyles, Mahmud was captured by Ottoman horsemen while travelling with his mother from Novo Brdo to Smederevo, likely in 1427 when the Ottomans attacked Serbia. It is unconcluded whether he was captured according to the devşirme or as a prisoner of war. Upon conversion to Islam, he received the name Mahmud. Taşköprüzade and Aşık Çelebi name two other boys led with him to Edirne: Molla Iyas and Mevlana Abdülkerim, the latter reaching the rank of kadıasker and şeyhülislam. After distinguishing himself at the siege of Belgrade in 1456, Mahmud was raised to grand vizier, succeeding Zaganos Pasha. In 1458, after Serbian Despot Lazar Branković died, Mahmud's brother Mihailo became part of a collective regency but was soon deposed. In reaction, Mahmud attacked and seized Smederevo Fortress, though the citadel held out, and seized additional strongholds. Threatened by possible Hungarian intervention, he withdrew south to join Sultan Mehmed II at Skopje. In 1461, he accompanied Mehmed against the Empire of Trebizond and negotiated the city's surrender with his cousin, the scholar George Amiroutzes. In 1463, Mahmud led the invasion and conquest of the Kingdom of Bosnia, even though a peace treaty had just been renewed. He captured King Stephen Tomašević at Ključ and obtained the cession of the country. In summer 1467, he accompanied Mehmed against Albania Veneta, ravaging the lands and pursuing Skanderbeg for 15 days without success. According to Tursun Beg and Ibn Kemal, Mahmud swam over Bojana, attacked Venetian-controlled Scutari, and plundered the area. He was dismissed in 1468 due to machinations by Rum Mehmed Pasha, reinstated in 1472, but executed in 1474 on suspicion of involvement in the death of Şehzade Mustafa, who had an affair with Mahmud's wife.

Reader's Guide

Mahmud Pasha's military career was defined by key campaigns under Mehmed II. At the siege of Belgrade in 1456, his performance earned him the grand vizierate. In 1458, he responded to his brother's deposition by seizing Smederevo Fortress and surrounding strongholds, though he withdrew when Hungary threatened intervention. In 1461, he negotiated the surrender of Trebizond, the last Byzantine remnant, through his cousin George Amiroutzes. In 1463, he broke a fresh peace treaty to invade and conquer the Kingdom of Bosnia, capturing King Stephen Tomašević at Ključ. In 1467, he pursued Skanderbeg for 15 days in Albania Veneta, failing to catch him but plundering Scutari's surroundings. His literary output included a divan of 45 Persian ghazals and 21 mofrads, plus naziras on Zahir Faryabi and Hafez, all under the pen name Adni. He also wrote official letters in Persian. His fall came in 1474: suspected of poisoning Şehzade Mustafa, who had an affair with Mahmud's wife, he was executed despite denying the charge and lack of proof.

Did You Know?

• Mahmud Pasha was a descendant of the Byzantine Angelos family, which left Thessaly in 1394.
• He was captured as a child while travelling with his mother from Novo Brdo to Smederevo, likely in 1427.
• He negotiated the surrender of Trebizond in 1461 with his cousin, the scholar George Amiroutzes.
• He conquered the Kingdom of Bosnia in 1463, capturing King Stephen Tomašević at Ključ.
• He wrote a divan of 45 Persian ghazals and 21 mofrads under the pen name Adni.